Teenagers Shot Outside Philadelphia High School

One high school student was killed and three others wounded in a drive-by shooting outside a Philadelphia high school last week.

Jalil Speaks, 16, a 10th grader at Strawberry Mansion High School, was killed when he was shot by occupants of a car that speeded by the school at about 3 p.m. on Nov. 22.

Two 16-year-old girls and a 19-year-old boy, also students at Strawberry Mansion, were wounded, said district spokesman Vincent Thompson. They were treated at nearby hospitals.

Philadelphia schools have suffered a rash of violent incidents recently. In February, a 10-year-old boy was killed in a drive-by shooting outside an elementary school. A 12-year-old boy was allegedly raped by an 11-year-old boy in a middle school on Nov. 16. ("Edison School in Phila. Struggles With Assault," this issue.)

Paul G. Vallas, the chief executive officer of the 190,000-student district, announced Nov. 23 that the district, a state lawmaker, a local businessman, and the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have pooled resources to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the Nov. 22 shooting.